From the '50s until the '90s, the government housed its Border
Security Forces there. Officers plastered over the delicately
painted walls and kept camp in one part of the complex. Other
sections were unguarded, and fell victim to looters. "Nagaur was
simply coming down," says Mahendra Singh. "If another 10 years had
passed, we would have lost it entirely."
Enthused by his success in conserving Mehrangarh, the maharaja
focused on saving Nagaur. Like many a savvy businessman, he didn't
attempt to do it alone. He approached Prince Charles, whose
grandfather was the last emperor of
India, and The J. Paul Getty
Trust. Both signed on.
Almost 9,000 miles from the Indian desert, the folks at Los
Angeles' J.P. Getty Trust were impressed. "The project at Nagaur
Fort was a wonderfully presented proposal," says Joan Weinstein,
associate director of the J. Paul Getty Grant Program. "They were
clearly sophisticated in understanding the challenges in
architectural preservation. They even had training components for
local craftsmen whose traditions are dying out."
The museum granted $250,000 to the project, and the maharaja
matched it. When he came back to Getty for more funds in 2003, the
museum contributed another $250,000. "It's very unusual for us to
fund a second grant," Weinstein says. "But this was a site, not a
single building. We looked at the high-quality results of the first
grant, and they were awarded a second to work on all the remaining
features."
When asked if any other maharaja had appealed to the Getty Trust
for conservation funds, Weinstein laughs out loud. "I can say with
confidence, no other maharajas have ever approached us."
So what separates this forward-thinking maharaja from the many
other princes who once ruled India? The maharaja himself thinks
it's quite simple. "It is possible to save our heritage assets,"
says His Highness, "given the will to do so."